NATURAL GAS

Natural gas fell the most in week as forecasts showed
above-normal temperatures in the eastern U.S., limiting demand
for the furnace fuel.

Commodity Weather Group LLC in Bethesda, Maryland,
predicted warmer-than-normal weather in the Northeast from March
3 to March 12. Supplies of gas rose to 40 percent above the
five-year average in the week ended Feb. 17 amid higher-than-
normal temperatures and record production.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, gas futures for March
delivery fell 4.1 percent to settle $2.446 per million Btu, the
biggest drop since Feb. 15.

U.K. winter gas surged to the highest in five months as
deliveries of liquefied fuel fell, spurring supply concerns.

The winter contract gained as much as 1.5 pence to 75 pence
a therm. That’s the highest since Sept. 28. It was at 74.25
pence at 4:30 p.m. in London. That’s equal to $11.76 per million
Btu. A therm is 100,000 Btu.

CRUDE OIL

Crude oil fell for the first time in eight sessions after
the Group of 20 nations rebuffed calls from euro countries to
increase lending resources, adding to concern that Europe’s debt
crisis will slow the economy and reduce demand.

On the Nymex, oil futures for April delivery fell 1.1
percent to $108.56 a barrel.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc sought to buy Forties crude in the
North Sea market without success. Vitol Group didn’t manage to
sell Russian Urals at a higher price in the Mediterranean.

Urals crude exports from the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk
will total 58 cargoes of 100,000 metric tons each in March, four
more than this month, according to a preliminary loading
schedule obtained by Bloomberg News.

LIVESTOCK

Cattle futures fell to the lowest in almost two weeks on
speculation that meatpacker demand is slowing and that U.S.
consumers will slow purchases of beef as costs climb.

On the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, cattle futures for
April delivery slid 0.7 percent to $1.28625 a pound after
reaching $1.28475, the lowest for a most-active contract since
Feb. 14.

Feeder-cattle futures for March settlement dropped 0.8
percent to $1.5645 a pound.

Hog futures for April settlement declined 1.2 percent to
settle at 88.65 cents a pound.

OIL PRODUCTS

Gasoline and heating oil fell for the first time in five
sessions on speculation that the European debt crisis may
persist, slowing global economic growth and reducing fuel
demand.

On the Nymex, gasoline futures for March delivery fell 0.8
percent to $3.1283 a gallon.

Heating-oil futures for March delivery declined 0.9 percent
to $3.2864 a gallon.

PRECIOUS METALS

Gold declined for the second straight session as a rise in
the dollar curbed demand for the precious metal as an
alternative investment.

On the Comex in New York, gold futures for April delivery
fell 0.1 percent to $1,774.90 an ounce.

Silver futures for May delivery advanced 0.5 percent to
$35.604 an ounce.

On the Nymex, palladium futures for June delivery dropped
0.8 percent to $707.40 an ounce. Platinum futures for April
delivery declined 80 cents to $1,714.30 an ounce.

SOFT COMMODITIES

Sugar rose to the highest price in more than three months
on speculation that global supplies will be tighter than
forecast because of harvest delays in Brazil, the world’s
biggest grower.

Raw sugar for May delivery advanced 1.3 percent to 25.55
cents a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York, after touching
25.81 cents, the highest since Nov. 9.

Cocoa futures for May delivery climbed 1.8 percent to
$2,400 a ton.

Arabica-coffee futures for May delivery added 0.5 percent
to $2.046 a pound.